The Photo Album
by comptine
Summary: AU It’s a pretty odd thing. Looking back on that warm day I can’t believe that my sister and I actually had a childhood. After the fire and the party it seemed as though we could never love each other again. Zuko/Azula sibling fic. Not Incest. -HIATUS-
1. Coney Island

**Photo Album**

**Chapter 1**

**Coney Island**

-

**The Nostalgic Brother**

Childhood bliss.

It's a pretty odd thing. Looking back on that warm day I can't believe that my sister and I actually had a childhood. After the fire and the party it seemed as though we could never love each other again.

As I walk along the cold streets that are squeezed between goliath rides I pull my scarf tighter as a cool winter breeze whistles through the park. Old chipped, plastic horses creak on their poles as the merry-go-round shakes slightly.

An idea hits me and I wander over to the carousel and jump the fence. I circle the ride, looking for my favourite steed. There he is, almost a perfect replication of my past excluding the chipped ear.

Firewalker, as I called him, is a beautiful black steed with a wild mane and flaring red eyes. Running a hand along the frozen mane I mount him.

Window blows through again and I pull my knees up to my chest, balancing precariously on the tiny saddle.

_What the hell am I doing here?_ I think to myself, letting my head slam back against the spiralling, gold pole.

-

**Sitting on a carousel ride**

**Without any music or lights,**

**Everything was closed at Coney Island**

**And I could not help from smiling.**

-

"_Zuko, I don't want to."_

"_But 'Zula, it's just a Ferris wheel."_

"_I don't want to."_

"_What if I hold your hand?"_

"_But Zuko, what happens if I fall?"_

"_Then I'll catch you."_

-

**I can hear the Atlantic echo back,**

**Rollercoaster screams from summers past.**

**And everything was closed at Coney Island**

**And I could not help from smiling**

**Brooklyn will fill the beach eventually**

**And everyone will go except me.**

-

I smirk at the memory.

I guess you could've called Azula and I close before the fire. The perfect representation of loving siblings.

But now?

Now we're broken.

But yet here I find myself, back at Coney Island.

Trying to find the remains of a unbroken family.

* * *

A/N

So this is TrueThinker's birthday present. She wanted some Zuko/Azula sibling love. Not incest mind you, but just a focus on their relationship.

I know the first chapter is bloody short but I swear the next one will be longer. This was just here to set the mood.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D


	2. Corner of Your Heart

**The Photo Album**

**Chapter 2**

**Corner of your Heart**

**-**

**The Forgotten Sister**

I remember the few moments I spent with her while she was alive. There were a few that stand out predominantly.

I'm not a woman to go on long speeches or reminisce so I'm going to tell you one. Probably the one that means the most to me. The one that hurts the most.

I'm going to tell you about the moment I realized that my mother didn't love me.

**-**

**There's a corner of your heart for me.**

**There's a corner of your heart just for me.**

**I will pack my bags just to stay in the corner of your heart.**

**Just to stay in the corner of your heart.**

**-**

"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I did at school today!" I run through the house, screaming for my mother. In my right hand I clutch my backpack, dragging it behind me while a math test with a score of 110 is held proudly in my left.

Warm sunlight drifted in through the window as I turned into our kitchen. I clamped around my mother's legs as she cut up some carrots. "Azula!" She said her angry tone made me let go of her legs immediately. "You know not to do that while I'm cutting things."

I look at my shoes. "Sorry mother."

I see her give a tired smile. I think her and daddy were arguing last night. They do that a lot. "Okay, what did you want to show me?"

**-**

**There is room beneath your bed for me.**

**There is room beneath your bed just for me.**

**I will leave this town just to sleep underneath your bed.**

**Just to sleep underneath your bed.**

**-**

I puff my chest out proudly and hold out the exam. "I'm the best in my class right now!"

My mother looks at the paper then at me. "Sweetie, this is amazing. In fact," she moves to the fridge and places the exam on it with the help of a butterfly magnet. "It's going on the fridge so everyone can see."

I clutch my mother around her knees. Her hands rest on my back.

"MOMMY!" Zuko runs in, tears streaming from his eyes.

My mother lets go of me immediately and I see her whole body language change. She kneels down so se is eye level with him. She is sure to make physical contact; her pale finger wipes the tears away. "What's wrong Zuko?"

**-**

**There's one minute of your day.**

**There's one minute of your day.**

**I will leave this man just to occupy one minute of your day.**

**Just to occupy one minute of your day.**

**-**

My dear brother begins, through his sobs, talking about how someone beat him up and stole his brand new bike. The whole story my mother coos to him, whispering words of comfort. I stand off to the side, nothing more than a bother.

Slowly I stand on the very tips of my toes and pull the test off the fridge. The magnet falls to the ground and breaks in half.

My mother doesn't notice the broken ladybug or my quiet departure.

**-**

**Just to sleep underneath your bed.**

**-**

And to think that if Azula had only stayed a moment longer, she would've been covered in hugs that her mother had been saving.

**-**

**Just to stay in the corner of you heart.**

* * *

Author's Note

Man, I love this song.

Okay, so I took an odd approach with Azula. Normally she's portrayed as always hating her mother but I'm sure at one point in her life she loved her mother. Her mother, in this story, loved her back but after this moment Azula spent less and less time with Ursa and more and more with Ozai.

So yeah...Just a litte piece on the Inner Azula we never see.


	3. We Are Broken

**The Photo Album**

**Chapter 3**

**We Are Broken**

**-**

**The Innocent Brother**

**-**

Fire burns. I always regarded this truth with scepticism. Fire was something you could control, something you could master with a water bucket or a stamp of your foot. Yet there it was, wild and untamed as it devoured our home.

As I watched the fire dance around me I saw the fairytales that my mother told me emerge from the flames. Fairies with burning wings and embers for eyes. Dragons with ripping scales of molten gold lunge out of the fire. One bites my face. I cry out in pain as skin evaporates and muscle is burnt.

The fairies crackle with laughter as my eyes roll into the back on my head and darkness fills my burning vision.

**I am outside**

**And I've been waiting for the sun**

**With my wide eyes**

**I've seen worlds that don't belong**

**My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize**

**Tell me why we live like this**

It had all happened so fast I can barely wrap my head around it.

There Azula sat, a match clutched in her hand while the corner of her bed started to burn. As I watched in horror she had placed all her favourite toys on her bed and, to my horror as the smell hit my nose, coated them in gasoline.

"Azula! No!" I barely had time to yell it as the fire finally reached the toys. The rest of the memory is filled with trying to find my way out of the smoke filled home.

**Keep me safe inside**

**Your arms like towers**

**Tower over me**

Blinking my eyes open I notice the sterile white walls. As my eyes adjust to the bright room I notice the machine beeping beside me. Before I can examine anything else, my left eye sears.

Gasping, I touch it. A solid wall of bandages meets my prying fingers. Panic threatens to overwhelm me. I scrabble at the bandages. The monitors being to beep faster.

Scratch them away. Get them away from my eye.

Beep…beep…

Off. I want to see. Get them off. Behind my damaged eye flame dragons and fire pixies dance, mocking me in the dark.

_Beep. Beep._

Soon the bandages fall to my lap.

**BEEP! BEEP!**

**Yeah**

**Cause we are broken**

**What must we do to restore**

**Our innocence**

**And all the promise we adored**

**Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole**

"Doctor Pakku! Hurry! He's gone into shock!"

"Nurse Kanna, please alert the boy's family. Zuko, Zuko can you hear me?"

I am a monster.

"Zuko! Listen to me! This is your doctor! Pakku! Remember?"

"Doctor, I've brought the father."

**Lock the doors**

**Cause I'd like to capture this voice**

**That came to me tonight**

**So everyone will have a choice**

**And under red lights**

**I'll show myself it wasn't forged**

**We're at war**

**We live like this**

-

A voice whispers into my ear, "Zuko. Stop acting out. Don't you have any honour? Your mother isn't here to comfort you. Suck it up and be a man."

-

**Keep me safe inside**

**Your arms like towers**

**Tower over me**

-

My hand grazes scarred flesh. I am marked. I look at my father as his words wash over me. "Mom's…gone?"

Ozai nods, not even the slightly hint of remorse in his cold face. "She died. You missed the funeral. You know what I can't figure out, my dear son?"

"What?" I can't show any weakness. I hold my tears back, I can cry later.

**Cause we are broken**

**What must we do to restore**

**Our innocence**

**And all the promise we adored**

**Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole**

"Why did you start the fire?"

"I didn't! Azula did!"

"Lying won't get you anywhere Zuko."

"I'm not lying! Father!"

"We'll be waiting outside Zuko. Come once you're ready."

**Tower over me**

**Tower over me**

Kanna wraps an arm around my shoulder. For a moment I'm torn between shrugging it off and accepting it.

Slowly, I lift it off and give the nurse a small smile. I realize that I can't cry now. She helps me gather my things and as I walk out of the room she gives my hair a small ruffle before busying herself with cleaning the room.

That was the last time I felt any kind of affection that was the least bit motherly.

**And I'll take the truth at any cost**

Azula sits outside the hospital. She turns as the doors open. Her mouth opens "Zu-" I ignore her and keep walking.

I think it was that moment my sister started hating me.

All I can say is, I don't blame her.

**Cause we are broken**

**What must we do to restore**

**Our innocence**

**And all the promise we adored**

**Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole**


	4. Anthems for a SeventeenYearOld Girl

**The Photo Album**

**Chapter 5**

**Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl**

**-**

**The Unpopular Brother**

**-**

Azula entered high school at the grade nine level when I was in grade eleven. She and I had drifted apart long before that. Probably the day I walked right by her when I left the hospital.

Within two weeks she already had the school under her thumb. Boyfriend with the captain of the football team, best friends with the cheerleading team leader, Class President, Grade Nine representative at school counsel meetings oh, and I forgot to mention perfect grades.

Azula was pretty much everything I wasn't. I was unpopular, scary-looking, didn't participate in any school activities and generally hated the whole student body. My best friends consisted of a ladies man who never got any ladies, an attitude wrought semi-blind girl, an attractive maternal fighter and a short bald kid.

Not exactly captain of the cheer squad.

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

During this "blissful" period of my life Azula and I did not talk. We merely watched. Though we would never admit it, somehow we were always looking out for each other. A silent guard.

**Now you're all gone got your make-up on and you're not coming back.**

**Can't you come back?**

We had come to a silent agreement. I would not talk to her, she would not talk to me.

To me she was just, "that popular chick."

To her I was just, "that guy with a big scar."

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

But one day Azula broke our silent agreement.

She broke it in front of our whole school.

**Now you're all gone got your make-up on and you're not coming back.**

"Hey, Zuko." I turn to see Jet standing there, an arm wrapped around Azula's waist, and a cocky smile, "Hey, I was just wondering, do you get your lipstick from Azula? Or do you buy your own?"

Ty Lee and Azula snigger but Mai speaks up, "C'mon. Let's go you guys. I want to get of this hellhole as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Toph punches my shoulder, "Let's get out of here before we catch 'stupid'."

Azula lit up immediately. "Excuse me, but we're not the ones with the lowest grade average in the school."

Toph's fists clenched but Zuko's hand clamped around her arm and he hissed into her ear, "Let's go. You know what happened last time you fought with Azula. I'm pretty sure you don't want another three weeks worth of detention with Mr. Zhao."

She looks like she's going to talk back but eventually her fist falls back to her side, relaxing.

**Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath.**

**Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath.**

**Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath.**

**Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under my window.**

"Oh Zuko." I stop but don't look at Jet. "Did you get your eyeliner from your mom?"

"Shut up." The words are out of my mouth.

Jet actually laughs. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your little feelings? Gonna go home to cry to mommy?"

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

In two seconds I had crossed the distance between us and sunk my fist into Jet's face. All around students were gathered as I beta the kid in front of my into a pulp.

Eventually hands locked around my shoulders and torn me away from a quivering, whimpering Jet. Before they can drag me to the principal's office I see Azula staring at me.

Whether with pity or amusement, I was never sure.

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

**Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.**

Five minutes later I was sitting in Principal Zhao's office while he paced behind his desk, greasy sideburns shining in the florescent light. "I'm going to ask you one more time Zuko. Who started the fight?"

"Jet." I answered for what seemed to be the dozenth time.

The door swung open and a secretary poked her head inside. "Azula is here."

"Excellent, send her in." The assistant nodded and a few seconds later a tall brunette in a red dress walked in, her gait perfect and measured. She lowered herself into the seat beside mine. "Azula, I do not want to waste you time so I'll ask you it straight out front. Who started the fight?"

Azula looked at me. I stared back, begging for her to tell the truth for once in her life.

**Park that car, drop that phone.**

**Park that car, drop that phone. (dream about me)**

**Park that car, drop that phone.**

**Park that car, drop that phone. (dream about me)**

**Park that car, drop that phone.**

"It was Zuko. He started the fight." Not a hint of remorse in her voice.

Just ice.

**Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.**

**Now you're all gone got your make-up on and you're not coming back.**


	5. Steadier Footing

**The Photo Album  
**

** Chapter 5**

**Steadier Footing**

**-  
**

**The Smoking Brother**

**-**

Parties were never Zuko's thing. In fact he hated them. So what was he doing at some party hosted by a guy he never even met?

Cowboy Bebop wasn't on until eleven and he needed something to do. That, and Azula car privileges had been taken away after her third, no wait, fifth speeding ticket and she demanded a ride.

He tried the party for a bit, sipping water -no beer he was DD- and attempting to mingle but it seemed his reputation, or the one Azula had made for him, preceded him. People would ask a few polite questions before scurrying off to join their other friends.

The dancing was a complete fiasco. No one wanted to dance with him and dancing alone while trying to pull off the whole grinding scene didn't really help his popularity.

So he ended up on the stairs of some house, in some neighbourhood, at some party, watching some drunks waltz away, waiting for his sister to emerge so he could go home.

**-**

**It's gotten late and now I want to be alone.**

**All of our friends were here, they all have gone home.**

**And here I sit on the front porch watching the drunks stumble forth into the night.**

**-**

The front door of the home swung open. A tall girl stumbles out, her halter-top sweat stained and eyes fuzzy. Her purse dangles wildly from her arm and she makes her way towards Zuko.

He recognizes his sister, even though she looks a mess. Zuko can't count the number of times she's arrived at their home in this state. Completely drunk, a downside of keeping her popularity. Popular kids party, those who don't quickly lose their place.

Ah the high school hiarchy. How Zuko feels like an observer as he watches people who get on Azula's bad side go from top of the chain to something close to plankton. Something even lower than him.

-

**"You gave me a heart attack, I did not see you there.**

**I thought you had disappeared so early away from here."**

-

"Azula…" he mutters, standing up and rummaging for the keys in his pocket. "Let's go." He starts walking towards but doesn't hear the click of high-heels following. Zuko turns around, looking at the girl who is sagging against the railing.

The girl stares at him, as if she's never seen him. "Zu-Zshoko?" She says, slurring his name. Azula takes a step towards him but her high heel gets caught and she falls forward.

Zuko runs and catches her just in time, carefully placing her on the steps. Azula doesn't move but curls up into a little ball on the stairs, shivering in the late Autumn air. He shakes him head and reaches inside his jacket for a ciarette. The match he uses flares into life, spreads onto the white of the cigarette and then is flung into the wet grass where it fizzles into nothing.

**And this is the chance I never got to make a move**

**But we just talk about the people we've met in the last five years**

**And will we remember them in ten more.**

He sits back down and Azula smiles drunkenly. "Hey, big brother." He starts at the name, which she hasn't used since the fire. Never big brother, just "Zuko" or "Moron" depending on the situation.

"Hey Azula." He takes a drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke through his nose. Azula shivers again. He notices the goosebumps slowly surfacing on her pale arms.

His dad would kill him is Azula so much as sniffled. He slips off his jacket and gently places it around her shoulders. Azula pulls the jacket tighter and the shivering stops.

"Tshanks" She mumbles. Zuko just glances at her, letting the words sink in.

-

**I let you bum a smoke, you quit this winter past.**

**I've tried twice before but like this, it just would not last**

-

The smoke coils from the cigarette and he throws it on the ground. He sighs, glancing at his unconscious sister. "Let's get you home…" He muttered to no one in particular. She moans slightly when he picks her up.

The embers of the cigarette flicker and die as brother and sister escape into the night.

* * *

Author's Note

Great, I update and it's a tiny one... Oh well, I acutally am a pretty big fan of this chapter... I don't know why.


End file.
